1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus for injecting, under pressure, growth regulators and other solutions into the vascular system of seedlings and branches of relatively small diameter woody plants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There is no known pressure-type injector or system designed for use with seedlings and other small diameter stems, that is, stems having diameters from about 6 to 36 mm. Pressure-type injection systems and apparatus currently in use are designed for use on large trees and usually involve the use of high pressure pumping equipment (California Agriculture, December 1976, pgs. 4-5; USDA Forrest Service Research Note NE214, 1975; Plant Dis. Reporter 57, 338-341 and 513-514, 1973). The only known apparatus and methods for introducing chemicals or other materials into small stems other than the present invention, rely on gravity or transpirational forces and do not lend themselves to accurate or even near-accurate control of the volume of liquid transferred into the stems (Phytopathology 59, 1014, 1969). A description of the present invention is published in HortScience 12, 156-158, 1977.